Wilderness
by Sweet June Rain
Summary: After a plane crash, Stephanie and Carlos must make it through the wooded wilderness, on foot, to get to safety. There are odd things lurking in the woods, and the two must watch their backs, if they want to make it out of there...alive...(OOCs, OC, AU, no Joe! It's a Babe, right off the bat, it's a babe.)
1. Chapter 1

(You would not believe how pissed off I am at myself, the creative juices are at an all time low, and it's just not coming to me, like it normally does. let me try this one more time! here, try to stomach this..pissed,pissed _pissed!)_

_Not mine, not making any money, it's just for fun!_

Wilderness

Stephanie could not believe it, after years of them playing an odd cat and mouse game, they finally got their heads out their asses and just listened to their feelings. Stephanie Plum and Carlos Manoso gave into their true feelings and got together. It had been a wonderful whirlwind romance. They dated for several months, before Carlos asked her to marry him. Of course Stephanie said yes! The wedding hadn't been a grand thing, just a small private ceremony on the beach at Point Pleasant. Stephanie's father gave her away, her sister and nieces had been there as had Grandma Mazur. Helen plum had been nowhere to be found, due to the fact that she did not approve of the marriage. She had said so several times that she didn't approve, even going as far as disowning Stephanie, in her eyes. It didn't matter to Stephanie, as long as she had the support of Carlos, and her friends, she didn't need her mother, who wanted to control every aspect of her life.

The two were now on a small private plane, going to a private cabin in the woods of the northwest. Stephanie and Carlos had been to lush island paradises several times, they wanted something novel now. Why not go into the woods and live a rugged life in a cabin for a few weeks. It wasn't a novel thing to Carlos, but to Stephanie, it would be. They wouldn't be roughing it, roughing it, there would be electricity, running water and indoor bathrooms, but they would be far away from everything and everyone. Not being in a ten mile radius from a mall or a store is what Stephanie considered roughing it.

Stephanie turned to her husband, she couldn't believe but yes Carlos was her husband, and asked, "Are we there yet?"

Carlos turned his eyes away from the planes windshield to look at his wife. Stephanie had been mildly surprise when she found out that Carlos had his pilot's license, he was steering the small private plane that he had charted to get to the cabin in the woods.

"Patience, Babe, we'll be there soon," Carlos said, turning away from Stephanie to look out into the setting sky, "We have to cross some mountains, but we'll be there soon."

Stephanie made a sound in the back of her throat, leaning back in her plane seat. They had been flying in the small plane for the last few hours. Stephanie's butt was getting tired, and she was starting to get cranky. Hopefully they would be at the little airstrip soon.

They had been riding in silence for a few moments, when something happened. The sky had just darkened, when the plane shook violently and suddenly. Stephanie and Carlos were jarred around in their seat. Stephanie turned to her husband, hearing him swear loudly, as he lost all power and control to the plane. Her eyes widen as Carlos turned to her and said, "The power is all out, I'll have to glide us down, and hopefully we land somewhere flat."

Stephanie looked outside the window in the darkness. They were over mountains and woods, there was nothing soft for them to land on! Stephanie turned to her husband and yelped, "But there is no flat land!

Carlos nodded his head and then said, "But there is a lake up ahead, I'll try to see if can land in that."

Carlos glided the powerless plane down close to the ground, just above the tips of the tree. In the moonlight, he could see the lake's reflection, if he could land there smoothly. Carlos told Stephanie to buckle up as he steered the plane down to the lake. the skipped on the surface a few times, slowing down, but Carlos knew that they wouldn't slow down fast enough. The two were jerked violently as the plane skipped on hard land sliding several feet into woods. The sound of crunch metal and breaking tree branches filled their ears, before the plane hit a large tree, nose first and stopped. The occupants inside the plane were out cold from the crash.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie swore she heard people talking. In a haze of pain and agony, she had heard a man and a woman talking.

"Needed to be done…can't have them having a way out of here…."

"They need to be found soon….the red moon is in a few weeks…."

Stephanie groaned, trying to move weakly, it had to be from the crash they just had. Maybe she was hallucinating. Stephanie gave up on trying to move, and let the darkness take her again.

The next time she woke up, she wasn't in the plane, but on a sleeping bag, close to a small fire. A piece of wet cloth was on her forehead and she had gauze wrapped around her arm, covering a wound up. Stephanie sat up and saw Carlos moving about close to the wreckage, trying to find and salvage some of the things they had brought with them on the plane.

"Carlos," Stephanie said weakly, making the man turn in the firelight and come over to her, "Are you hurt, are you okay?"

"I'm fine Babe, you were the one who got hurt the worst, a nasty cut to your arm, but I dressed it." Carlos said, kissing Stephanie soundly, "Babe, we'll have to go to the cabin on foot, it's just over this track of mountain, maybe several dozen miles away from here."

"We'll have to walk there?!" Stephanie echoed, earning a nod, "How long will it take us to get here?"

"It all depends on how fast we walk, maybe a week or so, if we can do 10 miles a day." Carlos said sitting beside Stephanie and giving her a power bar, "Eat up, and get some more rest, Babe, in the morning, we'll try to get some more things from the plane, and then we set off for the cabin."

Stephanie ate the bar in silence, her eyes drooping, she had just woken up, why was she tired again? After she ate her meal, she laid back down on the sleeping bag, letting Carlos spoon behind her. it was warm enough that they didn't need a top blanket, thank goodness Stephanie had wanted a late June wedding.

As the couple drifted off to sleep, a figure stood several yards away from them, watching them sleep. Eyes the color of pure honey filled with tears and the person whispered to no one, "Oh no, not again…"

(~~~~~~~~~~)

Carlos gave the satellite phone he had in hands a pointed look. It was a satellite phone, it should be able to pick up a signal anywhere. He had found it in the wreckage in a safe he kept in the charter plane, just in case. It hadn't been banged up, it was fully charged and ready, he should have been able to get a signal and call for help.

But he couldn't, the phone wasn't picking up a signal, which was the oddest thing ever.

Carlos slipped the phone into his utility belt and turned to Stephanie, who was still sleeping on the sleeping bag. When he had woken up, in the wreckage, he found the emergency exit to the plane and had dragged Stephanie out of her seat and onto the forest floor. She had received a nasty cut to her arm from a jagged sharp piece of metal. If Carlos hadn't been adamant about them getting their tetanus shot, things would have gotten ugly. Luckily all he had were a few bruises; the crash could have had a more fatal outcome.

The early morning sun crept through the woods, illuminating the beauty that it was. Carlos would have truly enjoyed the sight, if it wasn't for the fact that they would now be hiking through it, to get to safety. He knew the dangers lurking in the woods, and they would probably meet several of those dangers.

Carlos went over to Stephanie, and woke her up, they needed to get moving soon, he wanted to be near the base of the mountain by nightfall, hopefully his Babe won't put up too much of a fuss if they walked more than ten miles today. They would need to bring long sleeves and any jackets they could find, the woods up in the mountains would be cold, even in this nice summer weather. Carlos hoped that this would be an easy trek, but a gut feeling told him that it wouldn't. and like Stephanie, he usually listened to his gut first.


	2. Hungry Eyes

(Chapter 2, enjoy! thanks for all the lovely reviews! I think this will be a quick read and write!)

not mine not making any money, it's just for fun!

Chapter 2, Hungry Eyes

Stephanie sighed, looking down at her ruined Jimmy Choos. She really loved this pair too. She was going to wear them with the now ruined black teddy she had bought for her and Carlos's wedding night. Damn it all, why did they have to crash, and why in the middle of a forest too! She turned, watching Carlos pack two backpacks he had manage to get from the wreckage. Like any Special Ops he had packed emergency rations in a safe on the plane. They had enough to last them for two weeks. They wouldn't be walking in these woods for that long, Stephanie hoped as she slipped on the pair of boots she found in the wreck. Carlos said it was over the mountains, that's great, it shouldn't take them long to get to the mountain base.

Stephanie laced her boots up and then walked over to Carlos, who handed her a bag, "Okay, I'm ready; let's get this hike over with."

Carlos nodded his head and said, "Hopefully your enthusiasm lasts the whole trek, it'll be a long one, hopefully we'll be at the base of the mountain by night fall."

He put dirt over the dying embers of the fire and led Stephanie away from the plane wreck. Everything and anything of use was in their backpack. Flash lights, lighters, maps that weren't too damaged from the crash. He had found a gun and a box of bullets, those would be used only when needed, they could waste valuable bullets. He had a knife tied to his thigh and one in his utility belt, those would be the weapons he used the most. He knew that in this area, there were wolves, bears, mountain cats and many poisonous animals.

"How far away is the base of the mountain?" Stephanie asked as they walked through the forest, the sun now shining down on them, "Is it five miles from here?"

"More like 15 miles from here," Carlos said turning to Stephanie as he led the way, "It's northwest from here, once we clear the forest line, you can see it, once we're on land that's bare, you can see the base."

Stephanie made a sound in the back of her throat and then said, "Are there any bears out here? Like in that Man Vs. Wild show?"

"That show is fake, Babe, but yes, there are bears out here, and wolves and other big predators that wouldn't mind a Babe snack." Carlos said to Stephanie, who yelped and gripped his arm tightly, as they walked through the forest.

Stephanie punched Carlos's arm as he laughed at her reaction, "Jerk! That's not funny, so, are there really bears in this woods?!"

"There is Babe, but they're black and brown bears, they're more afraid of us than we are of them. the wolves hunt on the open land, which is why we want to be near the forest line near the base of the mountains by night fall. There are mountain lions, but they won't come looking for us." Carlos said to Stephanie, as they walked through the woods, "We should be safe from any wild animals."

"Oh good, the only time I want to see a bear, is when I go to the zoo or on animal planet." Stephanie said with a breath of relief, "We could get mauled if we're not careful!"

Carlos chuckled and said, "Are you hungry, Babe, your stomach will attract bears if we don't sate the beast."

Stephanie blushed, covering her stomach and said, "It's been a while since I've eaten any real food, and power bars don't count, Carlos."

Carlos pulled out a bad of Trail mix and said, 'there are M&Ms in it, so there is some junk food in with all that granola, nuts and berries."

Stephanie took the package of food and ate in silence, she could kill for a box of Boston crèmes, but these nuts and twigs would have to do, for now. Whose bright idea was it to go out and camp in the woods…oh yeah, hers! Why did she have to be all adventurous and suggest they go out into the middle of the woods, and stay in a cabin?!

"Babe, the smoke from your ears is starting to clog my airways, what's going on in your brain," Carlos asked Stephanie making her jump and turn to him..

"I was just thinking about the choice I made when choosing our honeymoon, why did I choose the woods, we could be in a nice hot tropical paradise, but no, I chose the woods."

"Island hopping does get boring after a bit," Carlos said looking to Stephanie, who shifted the backpack on her back, "Besides, don't you love the smell of the trees and the sounds of nature at its greatest?"

"Only on the discovery channel," Stephanie said, before she sat down on a fallen log, "Goodness, I'm tired, Carlos, we've been walking for hours!"

"It's only been three hours and 23 minutes." Carlos said with a smile, sitting beside Stephanie, who made a sound and dug the heel of her boots into the soft earth, "But I can't deny my wife a break, when she wants one."

Stephanie smiled and said, "I like it when you call me your wife, I like being called, Mrs. Stephanie Manoso."

"Babe, I like you being Mrs. Stephanie Manoso." Carlos said, just as he kissed Stephanie on her lips, "you know, we still didn't have our wedding night."

Stephanie smiled and said, "Well, I've always wanted to have sex outside."

"Babe, we've have sex on the beach many times, I think your 'having sex in public' wish has already been fulfilled." Carlos said kissing Stephanie again gently, "Besides, it's just us two in the woods."

"Mmm, well, I think we can have our wedding night right now," Stephanie said, as Carlos's fingers slipped her pack off her back, and slid her short sleeved button up shirt off her.

Stephanie moaned as Carlos kissed her neck, his fingers playing with the outline of her bra. Stephanie gasped as lips nipped at her pulse. She shuddered with delight, splaying her hands on her husband chest. They kissed again, their tongues playing with each other.

"Mmm, that feels so good!" Stephanie moaned, her eyes closing in bliss, "This feels so-AHHHH!"

Stephanie pushed Carlos away, looking past the man, and pointing to an area behind Carlos. Carlos turned himself, and saw a black mountain lion, on a log close to them, with amber eyes looking right at them. it was crouched down close to the log, licking its chops and baring lethal teeth. Carlos slowly took out the gun and aimed it at the mountain lion which hadn't moved, still staring at the two of them. Stephanie closed her eyes, waiting for Carlos to shoot the feline, but, as the moments passed, he did nothing. Stephanie heard soft rustling and then she opened her eyes, seeing a woman standing in front of the feline, her arms raised as if to protect the mountain cat from Carlos. She was tall, 6'2 with a slender figure that was covered in a white dress. She was the color of the fine milk chocolate with long hair that was in a single braid. Honey colored eyes look at Carlo's warm brown ones, full of determination, as if she dared him to shot the Mountain lion.

The woman and Carlos had a moment in which they stared at each other, and then the woman turned to the mountain lion, touched its massive head, and then the odd couple took off, going in the opposite direction Stephanie and Carlos were going. Stephanie deflated with relief and then asked, "Where in the hell did that woman pop up from? I thought we were the only ones around in this place?"

"That's the problem, Babe, we are, the closest town is 400 miles away from here, unless she's a mountain woman, she shouldn't be around here." Carlos said, getting up and helping Stephanie up as well, "We should go, we've wasted enough time as it was sitting here, I want us at the base of the mountains by nightfall."

Stephanie turned to the area, in which the woman and feline ran off too. She let out a soft shudder, they had almost become lunch and dinner to that over grown cat! She was ready to leave the forest and go back to civilization!

Stephanie puffed up, hearing a laugh from Carlos, "What's so funny, oh dear husband?!"

"You can take the girl out of Jersey, but you can't take the Jersey out the girl," Carlos said, as they began to trek through the forest again.

"I resent that statement!" Stephanie huffed as she shifted her backpack up on her shoulders, "Jerk…"

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

The woman watched the two walk off, a smile on her face. It was always a brutal cycle, but she couldn't let these two die in the woods, she would help them find a way out of these woods. She always did try her best to get people out of these woods.

The woman looked over to the mountain lion, which licked it's paws grooming itself. It paused its grooming and looked over to the woman, as if to say 'Why bother, they always die in the end, let me eat them now.'

The woman shook her head and then thought that if she could get them to where they wanted to be, which was out of theses woods, she could break the cycle and go with them.

She had to try her best with these two, she had to make sure they left out of these woods, alive!

TBC…..


	3. Triangle

(I caught the flu, so I'm home from work for the time being, so here's chapter 3, enjoy! read and review please!)

not mine not making any money, it's just for fun!

Triangles

Carlos looked up into the sky, staring at where the position of the sun was. He had tried to look down at his solar powered watch, but found that he couldn't find out what time it was, due to the fact that his watch wasn't working. He had taken precious travel time to take it apart to look for any problems with it. he had found none, which irked him. If the watch was fine, then why wouldn't it work? It was like the handheld GPS he had, it didn't work. He had personally gone up to the woods close to the cabin. They had worked when he was there, but now they didn't. He hadn't been to this area of woods, but he had assumed these parts of wood would be like the parts close to the cabin.

Carlos looked over to Stephanie, watching her slap her cheek, feeling a bug bite her. he had been the smart one and rubbed wild herbs on his exposed skin to stop the bugs from biting him. When he had offered her some she had said how were a bunch of weeds going to stop the bugs from biting her. He had nearly rolled his eyes at the woman when she had said that. She was regretting not taking the herbs now. At first she had suggested they go up to Alaska, but he had stopped that idea, all the bugs up there now, she would have flipped bricks.

"Stupid bugs…stupid nature…"Stephanie mumbled, looking over to Carlo's back, "Next time, we're going to Tahiti…"

"Babe, having some problems back there?" Carlos asked Stephanie, watching her twitch and shake her head, "I still have some of those herbs, if you want"

"Give them to me!" Stephanie said, snatching the crushed up leaves, and rubbing them all over her exposed skin, "Ugh, we need to hurry up and find a shower! I feel like shit, and I must look like it!"

"Babe, you are the most beautiful woman in the world, " Carlos said, kissing Stephanie softly, "Come on, it looks like it's 5PM now, we have about an hour and half of light left, and we've yet to get half way through the open field, we need to hurry, I don't want us in the open at night.

Stephanie grabbed Carlos's arm as a lone howl filled the air, "Oh my god! Was that a wolf?!"

"Yep, that means there's a pack close by," Carlos said, as he quickened his pace, "Let's go Stephanie."

Carlos had a feeling that the wolves would find them before they made it to the forest, and that would spell trouble for them both.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

They had been going at a quick pace for a while now. Carlos wouldn't slow down for anything, he wanted them in the woods by nightfall. Stephanie could feel a stich in her side, and her legs ached from the fast pace. She wanted Carlos to slow down, to let her sit down, anything! He had given her a look that held no nonsense and told her that once they were in the woods, they could rest all they wanted, for now they had to walk as fast as they could. The sun was now just over the mountains and the sky was steadily turning black. The stars and sky looked so much brighter out here in the wilderness than in Trenton. If they weren't in such a dire situation, Stephanie would have truly enjoyed this site.

The howls had become constant, and much closer. She could sense that the wolves were close to them. The hairs on her back stood up, something about this wasn't right, but she didn't know what.

Stephanie turned her head to the darkening area, hearing something behind them, what was that?! Stephanie turned to Carlos and said, "There's something behind us, Carlos!"

Carlos turned his head. Sure enough, there were few wolves running towards them. they were running really fast, he had heard that the top speed a wolf could get was 15 miles per hour, but these wolves, they were running at a faster pace than regular wolves. They were huge too, almost the size of black bears. He had never seen wolves like these before.

Carlos grabbed Stephanie's hand and said, "Run," before he dragged Stephanie with him, running to the forest that was at the base of the mountain.

Stephanie gripped Carlo's hand as she ran behind him, she could hear the wolves paws on the ground, she could hear their pants, they were so close, they were going to eat them both!

Stephanie turned her head away from the wolves and turned back to the look at the upcoming forest. Stephanie nearly cried out seeing a black lump running out of the forest in front of them. in what little light they had left, she could see it was the black mountain lion that had stared them down in the woods behind them, how in the hell did it get there so quickly?

Carlos pulled Stephanie to the side, just as the Mountain lion jumped passed them and charged the wolves. It let out a loud roar, stopping before the wolves, hackles raised. The wolves stopped, looking flustered, and for some odd reason, nervous. The mountain lion growled lowly looking at the wolves, its body close to the ground.

Stephanie and Carlos turned again, seeing the woman run past them and stop beside the lion. The wolves backed away a few feet and then Stephanie's eyes widen as the leader opened its mouth and spoke in, in a heavy voice, "They are under your watch?"

"Yes." The woman said softly, inclining her head, "Tell everyone in these woods that they are protected by me."

The wolves nodded their heads and turned away to go back from where they came from. The mountain lion turned to look at Carlos and Stephanie, before it trotted back over to the woman and rubbed it's giant head on her side, purring with contentment as she rubbed its head.

"That wolf just talked," Stephanie gasped, her eyes big, "Carlos did you-"

"I did Babe," Carlos said, he couldn't believe it himself, what was this the twilight zone?

The woman walked up to the two and said in a soft voice, "If you follow me, I will take you to the forest near the base of the mountain."

Stephanie watched her eyes wide as the woman walked past them. Carlos grabbed the woman's arm and said in a low voice, "Who are you?"

The woman breathed harshly through her nose and said, "I-I can't tell you, but please, trust me when I say this, you two are in danger, and if you want to live, you'll follow me."

The mountain lion slid up to Carlos and growled at him. Carlos let go of the woman's arm and then asked, "Can you tell us where we are?"

"All your questions will be answered, once you follow me," The woman said turning away from the two and walking to the forest, "Come along now, there are much more dangerous things out here than wolves."

Stephanie stiffened and then asked, in a small voice, "Bears?"

"No, there are worse things than bears too, I suggest we hurry and get to the forest, now." The woman said, not looking at the two behind her, "Hurry along."

Stephanie and Carlos looked at each, before following the woman; it wasn't like they had any choice.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Why won't the flashlight work?!" Stephanie asked, hitting the flashlight with her hand, "Didn't you say that the batteries in here were new?!"

Carlos took the flashlight from Stephanie and said, "Babe, I think we might have a problem…."

The woman watched the two interact from her spot on a log. The mountain lion was perched beside her on the ground, its tail flicking with annoyance. The feline turned its head to the woman as if to say, 'Can I eat them now?'

"uh...electric devices won't work here," The woman said, making Carlos and Stephanie turn to her stunned, "I'm sorry, but they won't work in these woods."

The woman gasped as Carlos stood over her, grabbing her wrist. The feline sat up baring its teeth to Carlos as he did so. Carlos looked deep into the woman's eyes and said, "What's going on here."

Stephanie walked over to Carlos, more afraid of what the mountain lion would do to him, if he didn't let go of the woman, 'Carlos let her go, you're scaring her."

Carlos gave the woman a look and then let go of her. The woman rubbed her wrist lightly and then said, in a low voice, "This place is…this place is…."

She perked up, and then asked, 'Have you two ever heard of the Bermuda Triangle?"

Stephanie and Carlos nodded their heads, the Bermuda Triangle was a made up story about how people, boats and planes would disappear in a certain area. It was a made up story, folklore.

"It's a made up place," Stephanie said shrugging her shoulders, "What about it?"

"It's not a made up place," The woman huffed, looking at the couple, "The Bermuda Triangle is real, this place is a triangle too!"

Stephanie and Carlos sat down beside the roaring fire, watching in the orange light as the woman took a stick and began to draw out a small map of some sort in the dirt. The woman pointed the end of the branch to three different patched of small triangles and said, "We're in between three mountain lines, the Rockies, Cascades and the Black mountains."

Carlos wached as she drew a rough looking triangle in the dirt, "So the three mountains from a patch that looks like a triangle, what is the big deal?"

"Silly, it's because of this natural triangle that things that can never be, can be," The woman said softly, looking up at the two, "Talking wolves and many other things too.

Stephanie shuddered as amber colored eyes darkened and the woman said in a low voice, "The triangle is also known to never let what has become caught in its web go, if it has something desirable to give it."

The mountain lion nudged the woman's knee and yawned. The woman nodded her head and said, "It's getting late, we should get some sleep."

The woman watched as the couple placed sleeping bags on the ground and climbed into them. she shook her head no, when Carlos asked her if she wanted the spare. The woman sat for hours, near her spot by the fire. She was waiting for the couple to truly fall asleep, before she left. She had led them to safety, told them about the triangle and had secretly told them about her problem. She would need to leave for the time being, she had stayed too long as it in one spot that could be a problem for everyone.

When she felt both people fall into a deep sleep, she got up and vanished into the woods, the mountain lion trotting beside her into the darkness. As she walked through the woods, she thought about what she told the two, now that they were not ignorant about what was going on, the triangle wouldn't be so soft on them now, but they should fear the other people in the triangle than the triangle itself.

TBC….


	4. Mazes

(Chapter 4 read and review, thanks for the reviews, i love them! one more person joins the adventure!)

not mine, not making any money, it's just for fun!

Mazes

Stephanie woke up to Carlos muttering, "She's gone."

"Who's gone?" Stephanie asked, sitting up in her sleeping bag, yawning a bone cracking yawn, "Who?"

"The woman that led us into the forest," Carlos said with a frown, looking over to Stephanie, "she must have slipped away during the night, while we were sleeping."

Stephanie slid out of the sleeping bag and asked, "Do you believe what she told us? That this is like the Bermuda triangle?"

At this point in time, Carlos didn't know what to believe in. he had seen and experienced a lot of things in his lifetime, but this one had to be the icing on the cake. The thought of the Bermuda Triangle being real was laughable. Maybe this was all a dream, and he'd wake up soon, beside his Babe. Though this was too real to be a dream. They really were stranded in the middle of the woods, in a Bermuda Triangle like situation.

Carlos looked down at his watch, the useless hands frozen at 12:34, he was inclined to believe the woman and her story, "There are some things in this world, that can't be explained. We should go Babe, I heard a stream close by from here we can wash up and get ready to go."

Stephanie let out a sigh and said, "I wish there was a shower around, I feel so yucky."

"You look beautiful, come on Babe, the faster we get to the stream, the faster we can start this trek up this mountain." Carlos said leading Stephanie to the stream.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck! I hate nature!"

Nature could kiss his ass, why was he out here again? Oh yes, to investigate the on goings in these woods. It finally took 300 deaths and disappearances for the suits to make a move. Why did they send him though, were they still angry about the last mission he botched up? Nah, he ratified that problem easily, killing wasn't his favorite thing, but it got the job done when needed.

Diesel let out a yawn, climbing out the tent he was in. he kicked away a few empty bottles of beer, he should have never gotten drunk last, he was paying for it now, his head felt as though there were men dancing in it.

Diesel took out a few aspirins, tossed them in his mouth and swallowed. He rubbed his eyes and then began to pack up his camp. It had been several days since his mission started, and he had been required to write all about it. once the fire pit had been buried and the beer bottles taken care of, Diesel took out a black notebook and a pen. He opened the notebook and wrote;

_Day 11_

_There has been nothing out of the ordinary in the woods, except for a black mountain lion spying on me, all it does is stare and then leave. I am beginning to think that whatever is happening is not what it really is. The Suits told me that there was a cult in this 'triangle' that is using the triangle's mysterious powers to bring a powerful demon up from the underworld. The suits say in order to do this they must give the demon the one with markings on their back, the suits would not tell me what the fuck that meant, but I get a feeling they will never tell me! Anyways…that's all the news I have for you guys, take it with a grain of salt, I sure as hell don't know what's going on! _

Diesel tossed the notebook and pen in the backpack, slipped it on his back and then walked off into the woods, never seeing the two pairs of amber eyes watching him. One pair belonged to the black mountain lion, the other pair a woman.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie turned to Carlos as she heard the sound of the stream, again, "Carlos, I think we've been here before, yeah, this is the same stream we washed up at this morning!"

Carlos nearly let out a curse, sure enough there it was, the stream, the same fucking stream that they had drunk from, and washed up in. Fuck, what in the hell! They had been walking for nearly five hours, only to come back to the same stream.

Stephanie looked around the forest and then said in a soft voice, "This is freaky…"

Carlos took out the hunting knife and slashed a large X on the bark of a pine tree, "There Babe, we'll just mark where we are, come on, let's go this way."

Several moments later, they were back at the same stream. Stephanie looked over to the X and whispered, "Holy shit…."

Carlos turned looking around the woods, was this what the woman had said would happen, the Triangle was keeping them here. Carlos led Stephanie through another way, slashing X's on tress. He let a low hiss come out his teeth when they were back at the same stream again

"Carlos..look…"Stephanie said, pointing to the trees, her eyes wide with horror, "What's going on?"

Carlos grabbed Stephanie and pulled her to him, the trees, all of them, had X's on them. he sure as hell knew that he hadn't done this, it would have taken him days to do this. This was a fucking maze, the woods had become a maze, playing with them toying with his patience. It was as if the woods were waiting for him to snap.

Stephanie turned to Carlos and said, "Let's cross the stream and go that way, maybe we'll end up somewhere else."

The couple crossed the stream and headed through the forest. The X's on the trees seemed to mock them as they ran through the woods, only to end up at the same stream. This time though, there was someone waiting for them. it was the Mountain lion, sitting near the stream, eating a large fish with contentment. When Carlos and Stephanie walked up to it, it turned its head to them and then stood up, shaking its body as if to wake up. The mountain lion stretched, licking its chop and then jumped into the stream and began to walk up the stream. It paused and turned to Stephanie and Carlos, motioning with its head to follow it.

Stephanie and Carlos began to walk on the side of the stream, but the Mountain lion shook its head, jumped out the stream and jumped back in, as if expecting Stephanie and Carlos to do the same.

"Do we have a choice?" Stephanie asked, before she climbed into the small stream, "maybe it's trying to get us out of this crazy maze."

Carlos looked around, and then at the black mountain lion, who was waiting patiently for him to follow him. Oh what the hell, Carlos got into the small stream and together, the three begin to trek through the cool water. As they did the X's on the trees began to fade away and it seemed that the forest was becoming fuller, meaning they were heading deeper into the woods.

Stephanie perked up and sniffed the air, "I smell food, I'm so hungry too, I could eat one of those baggies full of nuts and twigs right now."

"It's trail mix," Carlos said to his wife, but he was hungry too, and the smell was tantalizing.

The mountain lion stopped short, and then ran up the stream, forcing Stephanie and Carlos to run behind it. At the bank of the stream was the woman cooking fish over an open fire. She wasn't alone, there was a man with her, talking with animated movements. Wait a minute, Stephanie knew that person. Blond hair, blue eyes, 6'5, always wore jeans and a blue flannel shirt, shit that was-

"Diesel?!" Stephanie asked, her voice full of disbelief, "What the hell are you doing out here?!"

Said man turned to Stephanie and said with a smile, "Stephanie! I'm out here enjoying the view and the lovely company, did you know that Heidi can make wonderful fish?!"

"Heidi…your name is Heidi?!" Stephanie asked the woman who nodded her head, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You never asked," Heidi said with a huff, letting the mountain lion lick her face, "if you two had asked, like Mr. Diesel, I would have given you my name."

"What are you two doing out here?" Diesel said as he tore into a roasted fish, "I hope it's not because you guys got lost."

"We were on our way to a cabin, for our honeymoon," Carlos said sitting on a log, close to Stephanie, "Our plane went down, and now we're here."

Diesel nodded his head and said, "Well, I'm here to investigate some strange things going on in this Triangle, something about a cult and demons."

Heidi buried a hand through the mountain lion's fur, her eyes cutting, after all these years….

"How did you meet Heidi?" Stephanie asked, thanking Heidi for the fish she was given, "I mean, you couldn't have just bumped into her, right?"

Diesel chuckled and then said, "Shit it's a long story, but I think we have time for me to tell you, well there I was, walking through the forest minding my own business, when I walk into a fairy ring, fucking fairies-ouch!"

Heidi had hit him hard when he cursed, "Fairies are like butterflies and bees, they promote the growth of all plant life, and protect it, shut up."

"Alright, should not have cursed the fairies, whatever ever," Diesel said, rolling his eyes, "Anyways, they get mad at me, apparently I crushed a rare flower, and they wanted retribution, I told them to go suck lemons, I wasn't doing anything. They summoned a mutant bear to chase me, and well, I ran, I ran right off a cliff. Luckily, I caught the edge of the cliff, before I fell to my death. The bear almost had me too, but then Heidi popped up, spoke to the bear, which spoke back, might I add, and then left."

Diesel kicked a few pebbles when he said, "Heidi helped me up from the edge of the cliff, she then made me go back, apologize to the fairies and then give them some chocolate, and now we're here, at the bank, with you guys!"

Stephanie shook her head and said, "We got caught in a maze, we tried going different ways, but no matter what happened-"

"We just kept going back to the same area of stream, was that the triangle's doing?" Carlos asked Heidi, who nodded her head and tore into her food with gusto.

"There are several mazes in the forest, each with different ways of getting out of them, it is pure dumb luck that you two happened to get one of the easiest mazes, all that was required for you two to do was to go upstream in the stream, there is one maze that requires you to go underground, and there are spiders the size of carriages down there." Heidi said, making Stephanie yelp and grip Carlos, "Do not worry, I am sure we will not make it to that part of the forest."

"We?" Carlos asked looking at Heidi, who nodded her head, "You're coming with us?"

"I am, I will lead you out the triangle, to get to safety," Heidi said softly, running her hand through the mountain lion's fur, "There is one thing I ask in return though."

"What is it?" Diesel asked, leaning to Heidi, making the Mountain lion growl lowly.

"I want to go with you," Heidi said looking up, her eyes full of determination, "I want to leave the forest with you."

TBC…


	5. Leonard

(Chapter 5 enjoy, thanks for the reviews, read and review please!)

As always, not mine, not making any money, it's just for fun.

Leonard

Three hundred years for three hundred years, they have been on the hunt for the one, the one with the markings. The markings signified that they would be the ones to be given to their demon lord to revive him. Once he was revived, all life on earth would bend to his will and those who try to resist would be killed.

They had found the one with the markings, a long time ago, back when this country had yet to be one. It must have been around the 1700's. The marked one had been sold off as a slave, it had been a heated auction, since not only did they bid on the marked one, so did every other white male. It would seem a pretty face could attract several interested men. They hadn't won the bid, a young man had, a very wealthy young man. They needed to have the marked one at all cost, so they went to the plantation that the young man owned and tried to take the marked one. It had taken them a while to find out where the man had lived, nearly two months. It had them worried, if the marked one didn't remain a virgin, they would have to wait another 5,000 years before another marked one came. When they found the man they were relived, the marked one was still a virgin. The man had apparently fallen in love with the marked one, and desired to marry them. he had even given them a name; Heidi, how sweet. They hadn't been able to get the marked one, the two had escaped.

They had found them near the wooded triangle, in a Native American tribe, they had been given sanctuary from the Native Americans. The Native American knew what their plans had been, to take the marked one to bring back the 'Dark Devil.' They were only able to curse the young man who bought the marked one, before the couple ran off into the triangle. The triangle was an excellent source of power for them, but it did have drawbacks. The triangle wasn't making it easy for them to find the marked one and her love, it was as if it was protecting them. They had been searching for 300 years in these woods and they had several members die in these woods looking for the marked one; they wanted this to be over with, they would find the marked one, all before the next blood moon. They would use the power of the blood moon and the triangle to revive their lord.

(~~~~~~~~~~)

Diesel turned to Stephanie and Carlos and whispered, "She's a quiet one, no?" pointing to Heidi, who walked in front of them with the mountain lion beside her, "I mean, she hasn't said anything since this morning."

They had spent the night at the bank of the stream, talking and enjoying each other's company. Heidi had slipped away during the night, she must have assumed everyone was asleep. Carlos had been awake, he had watched her and then mountain lion slip off into the night, for unknown reasons. He hardly doubt that she would tell them why she slipped away.

"I think if she didn't have to talk, she wouldn't" Carlos said to the two looking at Heidi as they walked through the woods, "She has been alone in these woods with only a mountain lion as a companion."

"Don't you think it's weird that she can speak to the animals, and seems to know her way around this place? " Stephanie asked softly, looking around the bright woods, "How big do you think this triangle is?"

"It's pretty big, bigger than the Bermuda Triangle," Diesel said softly, tapping his chin, "I had to go there to deal with some Merpeople, they are very temperamental with their territory."

At the look Carlos and Stephanie gave him, Diesel threw his hands up and said, 'What?! Don't say that you're surprised by what I do?! Shit, you guys should be used to it by now."

Stephanie opened her mouth to say something but the mountain lion jumped in front of them and gave them all a look that said, 'shut up.' Heidi has stopped and was now staring off to the right of them. She looked over to them and said in a soft voice, "Be quiet, and climb a tree, now."

Carlos helped Stephanie up a tree, before he climbed up behind her. Diesel and Heidi were perched in a tree close to theirs and the mountain lion loomed over them in same tree. Stephanie looked down and watched with wide eyes as a small group of what appeared to be dinosaurs, came running along the forest floor. They stopped in the area where they had just been, sniffed the ground for a bit, and then took off. They looked like a miniature T-Rex, they were fast though and they looked more deadly.

Minutes later, Heidi jumped down from the tree and said looking up, "It's okay, you can come down now, they're gone."

"Were those dinosaurs?" Stephanie asked stunned, looking over to where the Dinosaurs had run off to, "Holy shit, I thought they were extinct!"

"Well, we're in a triangle, expect the unexpected," Heidi said as she turned to walk through the woods, "Just be glad you didn't meet the mother."

"Mother?" Diesel gulped, running up to Heidi and giving her a look, "You mean to tell me that those were babies?!"

"Yes, their mother is pretty tall too, almost clears the tops of the woods, when she's around, we go underground to hide." Heidi said looking at the three of them, "Those are some of the creatures that eat first and then talk later, our best bet is to stay clear of them."

Carlos grabbed Stephanie's hand, as they went deeper into the woods. How were they going to make it through the mountains if around every corner was danger?

"It's going to be a waxing crescent tonight," Heidi said out loud, looking up to the sky, "I'm sure your excited, Leonard."

"Leonard, is the mountain lion's name Leonard?" Diesel asked Heidi, who nodded her head, petting the mountain lion's head, "You two seem like close friends, has he been here with you for all this time?"

"Yes, he's been with me since the beginning," Heidi said softly, "Ever since this all started…"

"When did this all start for you?" Carlos asked Heidi, who shook her head, "You're not going to answer me?"

"No, I won't, there are some things in this world that needs to remain in the dark." Heidi said softly, before she gave them a small smile and said, "Why don't we take a break over this hill, there is a berry patch up here, I'm sure you'll love the fruit."

(~~~~~~~~~~)

Leonard was restless, he had been restless since the afternoon. They made it to the mountain side, they would rest here tonight, and then begin the long trek up its side. Leonard paced the entire camp area, watching the sun set. Once the sun was down, he trotted over to Heidi, head-butted her side to get her up from the log.

"Okay, Leonard, let's go!" Heidi said, getting up from her spot, "I'll be gone all night, don't try to find me, I'll be busy."

"She sure is a bossy thing," Diesel huffed, watching Heidi walk off, "But damn, if she doesn't have an ass on her."

"Don't let Leonard hear, that mountain lion is very protective of her, they must have a close bond," Stephanie sighed, leaning against Carlos's shoulder, "I'm so ready for this to be over, how long do you think it will take us to get over this mountain."

Carlos looked up into the night sky, the mountain loomed over them, tall and menacing, he really didn't know, it all depends on how fast they walk, where Heidi knew where she was going, and if they didn't run into anything while they were going up it, "Maybe a few days, this mountain looks steep."

"I hope there won't be any trouble for us," Stephanie said, knocking on the log she sat on, "maybe it'll be a fast trip up and down it, and then will be at the cabin, with running water and a working toilet!"

Diesel sighed and said, "Well, I might have to leave you guys to your fun and games, I gotta go and find a cult in these woods, they want to resurrect a demon, and I have to stop it."

"Sounds like an adventure, how are they supposed to resurrect this demon?" Stephanie asked, watching Diesel shift on the log.

"There's this person, with markings on them, the markings are like a key to some ritual, the cult is literally going to give this marked person to the demon. This demon isn't a joke too, he's dead for a reason. Destroyed Atlantis and the Aztec Empires in one swoop, if he comes back now, we could see mass destruction everywhere."

Stephanie shuddered and said, "Does the cult have the person with the markings yet?"

Diesel shrugged his shoulders and said, "Don't know, they could or they could not, which is why I need to find them soon."

Carlos hugged Stephanie to him and said, "we should get some rest, morning is going to come soon and we need to be prepared."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Heidi gasped as hands wrapped around her waist and a mouth attacked hers. The moment they had left the camp and the weak moonlight from the crescent moon hit the forest floor, Leonard had changed. Gone was the black mountain lion and in its place was a man. In his past lifetime, he was once a wealthy plantation owner, who had it all. Now his world revolved around the woman he was kissing.

"Leonard, I've missed touching you, kissing you, like this all the time, I hate having to wait at night to do this." Heidi whispered, kissing the man again, "I wish there was some way we could break the curse on you"

"I'll take what I can," Leonard said in a husky voice, before he kissed Heidi again, "Do you think it's wise to lead them out the woods, with the Cult looking for us?"

Heidi nodded her head and said, "Yes, besides, the less people in their way, the less guilty I feel, how many times have we've been close to escaping, only for the Cult to kill those who were helping us out?"

Leonard sighed and leaned his forehead against Heidi's whispering, "What if we can't leave the triangle?"

"We'll try, Leonard, even If it kills us, don't you want to be a human permanently? I'm sure there is someone out there that can break this spell." Heidi said looking up into soft grey eyes, "Things have change, times have changed Leonard, it's not black and white anymore, it's every color."

Leonard ran a hand through his black locks and said, "That's what I'm afraid of, everything has change, but we haven't for the last 300 years, we've been like this, I'm scared of what we'll see if we ever leave this place."

Heidi smiled sadly and said, "That's the whole point about new things, you're scared at first, but then you get used to it."

The lovers pressed their forehead together and kissed each other gently. they would enjoy the time they had together, even if it was only for the night.

(~~~~~~~~~~~)

Heidi ran her hands through Leonard's fur and said to the group, "Let's go, I'm not going to lie to you all, but this will be the most dangerous part of our trip, watch your step."

Diesel smiled and said, "Don't worry, sweetness, we'll watch our step for sure!"

"You'll be the first one to step right off a cliff," Carlos said, making Stephanie laugh and causing a small smile to appear on Heidi's face, "We might have to watch out for you, Diesel."

"Fuck you man," Diesel said with a sneer, as they begun to make their way to the mountain side.

TBC…..


	6. Markings

(Chapter 6, enjoy! thanks for the reviews, yup this is a mysterious and dramatic story! read and review please!)

not mine, not making any money, it's just for fun!

Markings

With each step they took up the side of the mountain, the colder it got. The woods seemed never ending. Heidi told them that the whole mountain was covered in the forest, and that until they reached the edge of the triangle, expect nothing but woods.

"It's a natural defense from things that want to do harm in it," Heidi said softly, as they walked through the woods, "you could be in these woods for decades, and not meet anyone, even if you tried."

Stephanie took out the long sleeve jacket she had pack and said, "Jeez, it's like 60 degrees here, I'm freezing, isn't it supposed to be June, almost July?"

"The higher the elevation, the more colder it gets," Carlos said, looking to Stephanie, "I was in the mountains of Afghanistan for a mission, it could be 120 at the bottom, but be 45 up near the peak."

Stephanie grabbed Carlos's hand and said, in an amused voice, "You must be a regular cub scout, eh?"

"Babe, I'm a trained Special Ops, there's not much I can't do," Carlos said with a smile, "Give me some twine and a branch and I can catch us dinner."

"I hope it's cooked with a twice baked potato and a salad when you do catch it," Diesel huffed, rubbing his stomach, "You know, I like eating healthy as much as the next person does, but I miss red meat and junk food, I could go for a doughnut."

"Me too, Boston Crème, and jelly filled ones," Stephanie said, her eyes misty, "And all the Cheetos I could eat."

"And McDonald's!" Diesel and Stephanie sighed together, making Carlos give them a look.

Heidi let out a sound and then said, "You guys want some meat? Leonard, be a dear and get us some meat, I think we could suffice with your favorite type tonight."

Carlos watched as the mountain lion took off into the woods. He turned to Heidi, who was looking up at the sky, her face serious, "Where is he going?"

"To get us dinner, it's going to rain soon, I think it would be best if we stopped for the day and set up a camping spot, there is a pair of trees close by, their entwined branches make a perfect canopy, rain cannot get underneath it." Heidi said, looking over to the three with a soft smile, "We should go over there, Leonard will meet us there with our meal."

It was creepy as to how Heidi knew her way around the woods, especially when she just told them that the woods seemed to shift every second, it irked Carlos to no end. There was something off about the person in front of him, his gut was telling him that something was off.

His gut never led him astray.

(~~~~~~~~~~~)

They had just reached the canopy of tree branches, when the rain came down in torrents. Stephanie had looked up in the sky, five minutes ago and commented that it was too pretty and too blue to be stormy. The sky had changed in seconds, going from blue and sunny to black and stormy. The twin trees were leaning towards each other, nearly in an embrace, their branches entwined as though they were lovers. Leonard was waiting for them, his tail twitching in happiness at the sight of Heidi. In between his paws were two dead deer. Diesel made a sound and said, "That's our meal?! Holy shit, are they still breathing?!"

"No, Leonard killed them for us, all you need to do is skin them and then roast the meat," Heidi said her eyes dancing with amusement, "Can you keep the kidneys they're the best part of the deer, oh, one of those carcasses belongs to Leonard."

"Who's going to skin this thing?!" Diesel asked, looking around, "Are you Steph?"

"No way, we should get Carlos to do it, he's trained in Cub Scouting!" Stephanie said, her face pale, "I've never eaten deer meat before…"

"You two are acting like children," Carlos said, but he walked over to a deer carcass and said, "I'll do it, don't worry, you wimps."

"He just called us wimps," Stephanie hissed to Diesel, who nodded his head, his face serious.

"I know right, we'll show him who's the wimp around here, but we're not skinning a deer." Diesel said, earning a nod from Stephanie.

Diesel and Stephanei made sounds, watching Carlos skin the animal carcass. He did it in the rain, and Stephanie had to admit, he sure did look fine as hell doing it. the way the muscles in his arms moved back and forth, the way his black hair clung wet to his forehead, the look of pure determination in his face as he went back and forth.

"Hey, earth to horn dog, start the fire!" Diesel said to Stephanie, making her jump in the air, "Here's the magnesium bar, start a fire, you pervert."

Diesel leered at Stephanie, who blushed and turned away from Diesel, so what, Carlos and she were married, they could stare down one another if they wanted to! That's what being married is for, right?!

"Right Babe," Carlos said, making Stephanie sputter and squeak, turning to look at Carlos.

"I said that out loud, didn't I?" Stephanie asked, earning nods from the three people and a mountain lion, "Oh….."

Stephanie watched as Carlos gave Heidi the kidneys, they were bloody and steaming in the cold air. Heidi smiled and said, "Thank you, these are the best way to eat them," before she popped one in her mouth and chewed, making sounds of contentment, "Do any of you want to try it?"

"I will! I'm not a wimp, I can eat one of these!" Diesel said, earning a look from Heidi, "Just give me the damn thing!"

Diesel faltered, looking at the organ in his hand. He looked around, gulped and popped it in his mouth, chewing quickly. it tasted like blood and raw beef. Well, it could have been worse.

"Not bad, but I like my meat cooked, speaking of, you should cook the meat, Heidi, since you haven't done anything but sit there with your over grown cat."

Leonard gave him a low growl, while Heidi nodded her head and said, 'Great, I found some wild herbs, they should make the meat flavorful!"

Stephanie had never eaten deer before, and she should have been turned off by the thought of eating Bamibi's mother, but the way it smelled, and the way her stomach was growling, well, she didn't deny the chunk of meat given to her. It looked like steak, but it looked much leaner. She turned to Diesel, who was eating his meat with gusto, and then she turned to her husband. He was eating his meat in silence, staring into the fire. He paused in his chewing, swallowed what was in his mouth and said, "Babe, it's very tasty, hurry up, before Diesel eats your portion too."

Stephanie lifted the meat up to her mouth, and took a bite. She took another big bite, making a sound of pleasure. This was some tasty meat! And it was so herby from what Heidi rubbed on and from what it ate. To think, if you'd had asked Stephanie a few days ago if she would ever find herself out in the wild with nothing to eat but twigs, berries and deer meat, she would have laughed at you. She was turning into a regular mountain woman. Speaking of mountain woman…

Stephanie turned to Heidi, watching her tidy up the area they were under. Diesel had pitched his tent, as did Carlos. They were all bundled up in jackets and boots. Stephanie never really did take a good look at Heidi, but now that she did, she noticed the woman was barefooted and only in a thin white dress that never seemed to get dirty. It was quite chilly now, they could see their breath in the air, Heidi should be cold, hell Stephanie was cold, her teeth was chattering and she was cuddled against Carlos for extra warmth. Leonard was curled up close to the woman, his eyes half closed, looking up into the dark sky. He lifted his head up and then turned to Heidi, taking his powerful mouth and gently tugging at Heidi's dress. Heidi turned to the feline, and nodded her head.

"I'll be back in the morning," Heidi said softly, getting up along with the mountain lion, "I have things to do."

Diesel opened his mouth to argue, but Heidi and Leonard were gone into the wet raining night, "She's the rudest guide ever!"

"Where does she go to every night," Stephanie asked softly to Carlos, who shook his head and looked into the fire.

"As long as she's back in the morning to lead us out of the triangle, right?" Carlos asked Stephanie, who shrugged her shoulders and looked out to the night woods.

"I hope she's alright, whatever she does." Stephanie with a yawn, suddenly tired, "I'm ready to go to sleep, I bet it's not even 9 PM."

Stephanie got up and climbed into the tent she was sharing with Carlos. Carlos got up and asked Diesel, "You staying up until she gets back?"

Diesel nodded his head and said, "Yeah, someone has watch over her, you know," poking the fire with a stick, "I might be asleep before she arrives, but it's the thought that counts, right?"

"Sure Diesel, sure," Carlos said, before he climbed into the tent with Stephanie, "Goodnight."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Leonard and Heidi were curled up against each other in a hidden cave close by the camp area. They could easily see the orange glow from the fire. Leonard was resting against the soft moss that covered the rocks, Heidi lay on top of him. The rain that dripped into the cave was like a song to them. Leonard lifted his head up and asked, 'What would you do, if we were able to leave the triangle?"

Heidi smiled softly and said, "I don't know, there's so many things to do! I think I would like to go and get some cake and watch TV. People have told me so much about it, I'm very curious."

"I think, the first thing I want to do, is marry you," Leonard said with a smile, kissing Heidi on the cheek and then wrapping the woman with his arms, "And we'll have a bunch of children!"

"That sounds a like a good first thing to do," Heidi said, before she sighed and said, "why can't we, you know… do it,now?"

"I'm scared," Leonard said, pulling Heidi's dress down to reveal the complex and ornate markings on her back. They seemed to glow a soft white in the darkness, "They'll find us, Heidi, and they seem to know where we are every time we make a move to do….it."

Heidi and Leonard lay back down on the soft cave rocks, rubbing each other's limbs. Heidi looked up and then said, "I love you, Leonard, I can't wait to be together outside the triangle."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Diesel was jerked away by soft rustling. He watched as Heidi walk into the camping area with the mountain lion. He watched through eye lashes as Heidi threw another log into the fire, and then curled up on the ground with Leonard, and fall right to sleep, her fingers threaded through his fur. Diesel had been told by Stephanie and Carlos that Heidi left during the night. He was now very curious as to why she left them. He would have to know soon, which meant he had to do some detective work. Diesel got up from position on the ground, and went into his tent, cursing himself for not taking his sleeping bag and using it as cushions.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~)

"Seriously, you mean to tell me you're not cold, Heidi!" Stephanie asked the woman, who shook her head as she climbed over a boulder, "It's like 50 degrees out here, and drizzling, how can you not be cold?!"

"You get used to it, Stephanie," Heidi said, turning around to scan the woods, a frown on her face. For the last few hours, she had been feeling something. Her back had been vibrating, and she didn't know why, it had never felt like this before, it was really irking her, "I haven't been cold in a long time."

Leonard rubbed his body against Heidi, sensing her irritation. Heidi rubbed the base of her neck, trying to stop the buzzing feeling on her back. Carlos walked up to Heidi and asked, "Are you alright, you seem tense."

"Yeah, just my back, it's bothering me a bit," Heidi said, looking around the woods, "be on the lookout, I'm getting an odd feeling, just, be diligent."

Carlos and Diesel gave each other looks, as Heidi jumped off the boulder and continued to lead them up the mountain.

Stephanie whipped her head around, hearing a branch snap. It had gotten Leonard's attention too, because the mountain lion had its hackles raised, looking around the area. Heidi bit her lip and whispered, "Oh no…" before she turned to the three people following her and said, "Follow me, we have to hide now!"

The group took off the left, sliding on slippery ground and rocks, following Leonard and Heidi into a hiding hole in the ground, covered with bushes and moss. They had just climbed into the hole when Heidi seized up in pain, clenching Leonard's fur, biting her lip to prevent the screams from coming out her mouth. when she wasn't successful with keeping them in, Diesel covered her mouth with hands, letting her wither against him.

Carlos sensed movement, he didn't have to hear it, he could sense it. it felt dark, like it was something evil. It had him on edge, he had never felt something this evil before. Stephanie gripped his arm tightly, trying to keep quiet, she had to bit his jacket to keep her fear at bay. Leonard was licking Heidi's cheek, as she withered and arched her back. amber eyes rolled up into Heidi's head, and she passed out from the pain, limp in Diesel's arms. Leonard didn't make a sound nor did he move, until the evil presence left them. when it did, Leonard turned in a circle and began to lick Heidi's face, his eyes big with concern.

Diesel watched as Leonard motioned for him to unbutton the back of Heidi's dress. He unbuttoned the dress and was nearly shocked, feeling something that was raised and prickly on his fingers, as he touched the woman's back. When he pulled the back of the dress off to the sides, he groaned softly, "Well shit, maybe this is why she's in this place."

Stephanie covered her mouth and said, "What the fuck?!"

Patterns and markings were all over Heidi's back, glowing a bright white. The covered her back all the way down to the end of her spine and all the way to the nape of her neck. Diesel turned to Leonard and said, "Is she the marked one?"

At Leonard's nod, Carlos made a sound and said, "Well, this gets more interesting with each step we take."

TBC….


	7. A Doll With Strings

(Chapter 7, enjoy, read and review please!)

not mine, not making any money, it's just for fun!

A Doll With Strings

Heidi peeled one eye open, and groaned, her back sore and throbbing for what had happened to it. What had happened? It had never felt like that before. It felt as though someone had taken a white hot poker and placed it on there. It had felt like fire to her. She had sensed the Cult, before they could sense her, but she had never experienced something as painful as that before, what had changed?

Heidi closed her eye and then opened both eyes, her vision blurry. It took her a moment, but then she could finally get her vision right to see that they were in a shallow cave, near the opening, which let the night sky in. it was still raining a light mist, and there was a chill in the air. Coldness didn't affect her as it used to, you got use to the triangle's crazy weather patterns. There might have been a chill in the air, but she was warm in a cocoon of softness. She must be in one of those sleeping bags, as they called them. there was also a fire to keep the chill in the cave at bay. Heidi heard soft footsteps and then a strong arm lifted her up into a sitting position, mindful of her aching back. Heidi turned and looked up into Leonard's grey eyes and said in a panic voice, "They'll find out, about you! You have to-"

"They already know, Heidi, I told them when Diesel carried you into this cave," Leonard said looking into Heidi's honey colored eyes, "Are you okay?"

"Back's sore, but I'll be fine," Heidi said, looking around, "Where are they?"

"Near the back, eating, they had a bit of a shock, when I changed back into my original form, of course I had to tell them about my past and why I'm a mountain lion by day, and a man by night."

Heidi leaned into Leonard's embrace and said, "I have to tell them about me."

Leonard smiled sadly and said, "It's for the best that you do, besides, they're getting restless, and they keep giving me dirty looks. As if I did something wrong."

"They'll get over it," Heidi said shifting out the sleeping bag, mindful of her back, "Let's go tell this tale."

(~~~~~~~~~)

"Oh, I see master has gotten his slave to make us-" Diesel started but Heidi shut him up by kicking him in the side, "OUCH! What was that for?!"

"A long time ago, he may have been my owner, but he's not, he's my lover, our love is true and real." Heidi said softly, looking up at the group, "That was a different time and place, you would have had to be there, to really know what was going on."

Stephanie opened her mouth to speak, but Heidi beat her to it, saying, "I'm fine, my back is a bit sore, but the pain will pass. "

Carlos inclined his head to Heidi and said, "You're going to tell your story now, aren't you?"

"I am," Heidi said, looking at her fingers, most people have childhood memories, Leonard told me about how he grew up in New York, and I heard tidbits about you guys, but I never real y thought about me and my memories."

Heidi let out a puff of air, and settled against Leonard, staring at the large fire in the cave, "I don't think I had a childhood, I don't think I was a child either, I don't have memories of a mother, or a father. I know it's been a while since we've been out this wooded triangle, but Leonard's memories seem to be fresh in his mind, why don't I have memories of a childhood? It took me a bit to figure it all out, but the idea of me not being born is becoming the real possibility as to why I do not have childhood memories."

Heidi rubbed her temples and said as she did, "I remember a storm, it was warm, it must have been in the summer, it was raining hard, I remember the mud, and the dirt, clogging my nose, clogging my airways. I didn't know what I had to do to breath, all I knew was that I had to crawl out of what I was in. it felt like hours for me to crawl my way out of the place was in. I had been underground, I had to climb out a hole that had already been covered, or had been covered for a long time."

Carlos tapped his chin and then said slowly, "You must have been in a grave of some sort, you must have had to crawl out of it, I couldn't imagine the horror you felt as you did what you had to do."

Heidi shuddered, and let Leonard wrap his arms around her, pulling her closer. She bit her lip and then said, "It was like drowning, but in dirt and mud, a dirty death, but I knew that I had to live, for some odd reason, I had to live."

"I remember the rain falling on my head, and me getting up and walking, just walking. I had no real destination, all I knew was that I was walking, I had no real thoughts, or any real motives, all I knew was that I had to walk. I must have walked for days, like a-like a doll on strings. I had walked into a village or a town, I don't know…but they had made a loud ruckus over me, I don't know, about me not having a master or something, I don't know…."

"They took me to this place, a cage, they put me in it, I had to stay in there for days, until they took me to a place, a place where men took bids on me, like I was a piece of property. Of course, Leonard won the bid, he had told me that I had deserved a life better than the one I was going to be given if I had gone to another man."

Heidi grabbed Leonard's hand and said, "I lived a wonderful few months with Leonard, I learned so many things. I guess we had fallen in love by then. He was going to take me to Paris, to London, wherever I wanted to go to, it was supposed to be a happy time…but then the Cult came. They came, and tried to take me away, but we ran, we ran westwards, as far as we could go. We had made it to the tribe that lived on the edge of the Triangle, they let us live with them, and protected us from the Cult. They helped us escape, when the Cult found us, but they hit Leonard with a curse, so we really didn't make it out of the tribe without any marks. We fled into the Triangle had been here ever since."

"How long have you been here?" Stephanie asked, giving Heidi a look, "You must have been here for a while, slavery ended in…"

"The late 1800's," Diesel finished for Stephanie, "and you said you were from the 1700's."

"300 years, we've been in this triangle for 300 years, we've been stuck here," Leonard said softly, "We can never seem to go to the edge of the triangle, it's as though we're being protected from the outside world, or we're prisoners in it."

"We know where the edge of the triangle is, but we can't leave from it, or we haven't tired too," Heidi said poking the fire with a stick, "We're too afraid to cross the triangle. We don't know what will happen to us if we do. Maybe we're too entwined with the triangles powers, or maybe we're only alive because of the triangle."

"That could be a problem, Triangles are finicky and tricky spots on the earth, each triangle is different from each other," Diesel said, in thought, "Well, we'll just have to wait, until this Cult is taken care of, maybe your key to getting out of the triangle is to get rid of the Cult."

"We never thought of that, we've just been running from them." Leonard said softly, looking over to Heidi, who shrugged her shoulders, "maybe we should help Diesel with getting rid of the Cult."

"It could be the key, or it couldn't, either way the Cult needs to be destroyed, before they unless that evil Demon," Heidi said, rubbing her back, "What I want to know is how they are finding us, they've never been this close to us before, we have to be on our guard, the Cult is nothing to scoff at."

"It's been a long day, we had to carry you five miles up to this place," Diesel said to Heidi, popping his tired limbs, "I could use a nap, I'll see you guys in the morning."

Stephanie let out a yawn and said, "We should hit the hay too, Carlos, we have to get up early in the morning, so we can hurry and find our way to the cabin."

The three left Heidi and Leonard by the fire. Heidi closed her eyes, leaning into Leonard's embrace and said, "Why do I get the feeling that something is going to happen?"

"because, it is, darling," Leonard said looking out into the dark cave opening, "Come on, you need your rest still, we have a trek ahead of us in the morning."

They settled on the sleeping bag, after moving it close the fire. They held each other well into the night, just enjoying the feeling they gave one another, until they both fell asleep.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie looked over to Carlos in the dark and said, "It must be hard, to live in the woods for 300 years, to be trapped in them, how they survive is a wonder."

Carlos made a sound and said, "This place, it gives me chills Babe, we need to hurry up and get out of here."

"It gives you the chills, well, I know a way to warm up up," Stephanie said sliding on top of Carlos and kissing him deeply.

The thought of sex had been far from their minds these last few days, the thought of survival and getting out of the enchanted woods was their main priority. With Stephanie's comforting weight on top of him, the thoughts of sex came rushing back to Carlos's mind as fast as they left. Their tongues swept against each other, muffling the moans and sounds they made. They had to be quiet, or else they would wake everyone else up, the fire had gone out by now, and it was just them awake.

Stephanie unbuttoned her long sleeve shirt, and slid off the pink t-shirt underneath, revealing that she wore no bra. Her nipples puckered from the cold and the excitement of it all. Carlos reached up with his head and latched his mouth onto one of those hard pink nipples, lavishing attention to it, making Stephanie whimper in pleasure above him. As he sucked on her nipples, he shucked off his pants and her pants, fore play would be cut short tonight, they both didn't have the patience for it.

Stephanie let out a low groan of bliss, as Carlos entered her. she had been wet and ready for him, so he slid in with ease. She didn't make a move until she felt her pelvic on his, until he was deep in her, all the way to the hilt. Carlos groaned softly, whispering, "Dios Babe, next time, we're take it slow, but this time…"

Stephanie had to bite down on Carlo's shoulder as he slammed into her, his fingers gripping her hips tightly. They both knew that there would be bruises after this round, but Stephanie didn't care at the moment. She just wanted Carlos, and what he had to give her, they were making up for their wedding night, after all.

Carlos groaned, burying his head in Stephanie's curly brown hair. It felt like heaven, being in Stephanie. it was where he was meant to be. Once they were out of the woods, he would take his time to show her this, that they belonged together. For now they would have to be quick with what they could do with other, and hope no one else hears them.

IT was Carlos's fingers pinching her clit that had Stephanie seizing up with pleasure, and coming all around Carlos. The tightening of her walls around his hard on had Carlos coming deep within Stephanie. They lay together, panting softly, unable to move. It took more energy to be silent than it took to have sex. They really needed to leave the woods soon, or find a private place to really have sex.

Stephanie and Carlos cuddled with each other, whispering their love in each other ears. As long as they had each other, nothing really mattered.

TBC….


	8. Separation Anxitey

(Chapter 8, enjoy, read and review please!)

not mine not making any money, it's just for fun!

Separation Anxiety

The rain was still coming down, and that was a concern for them all especially Heidi, who voiced out that it didn't rain for two days straight in the triangle. They didn't have the time or the luxury to wait for the rain to stop, they would have to hike through it. At Diesel insistence, Heidi wore the spare rain coat he had in his backpack. Stephanie had to grab Carlos quickly, as she slipped on the mountain side.

"Are you sure we should be out here, walking up a slippery slope?" Stephanie asked Heidi, who gripped a tree to keep steady, "It's pretty dangerous!"

"We have to move quickly," Heidi said to them over the rain, "We'll be at a leveled area soon, we will take a break there and then we'll go back to climbing the mountain."

Leonard rubbed his body against Heidi, who bit her lip in concern. Carlos walked up to her and said, "What's going on, Heidi."

"Something doesn't feel right, and I don't know what it is." Heidi said, looking around, "Just be careful and watch where you step, the ground could give way under you."

The climb was treacherous, and dirty. When they lost their footing, they either had to grab at the trees or dig their fingers through the mud to keep from sliding down. Leonard perked up seeing the group of boulders that made up the flat area of the mountain. If they could reach it, they could take a break. Leonard bounded past them all and made his way up to the flat area. It took the rest of the group a bit to reach where Leonard was. The area was flat but covered with large boulders. There was not a real area that was protected from the rain, except for a large groove in one of the huge boulders. The ground was just as muddy as the side of the mountain. It was a bit odd to see a flat area on the side of a mountain, but they were all glad to be safe from the slipping and the sliding.

"This whole side of the mountain is going to become a huge mud slide if it doesn't stop raining," Carlos commented, as he took off his muddy rain coat, "We could be swept up in it."

Leonard curled up against Heidi, feeling her body shiver, sure they were used to cold weather and short periods of rain, but this long period of rain had him concerned for the woman he was pressed against, Heidi was barefooted and only dressed in a raincoat and a dress. The chill in the air had gotten heavier and it could snow tonight, by the way it felt. If anyone of them got sick, it could mean disaster.

"If you all want, we could climb a bit more before nightfall, there is a cave with a natural hot springs, it would be warm there , and we could wash the mud off our bodies." Heidi said looking to everyone, watching their faces light up, "Yes, we could do that, rest up, and then we will climb."

Stephanie frowned looking over to Heidi, who pressed closer to Leonard, her face was a bit flush, and she was shivering slightly. Stephaie grabbed Carlo's hand and asked, "Do we have any medicine?"

"We have a military grade medical kit, I think we'll be fine," Carlos said to his wife with a smile, "Don't be too concerned about-"

"I think one of us is going to get sick soon," Stephanie said, her face serious, "I just want to be sure that we're covered."

Carlos nodded his head and said, "We're covered, we just need to press forward, hopefully this rain will stop soon."

Everyone looked up, hearing a loud roar; it had Stephanie paling in fear. That roar didn't sound far away either, it sounded close, too close. Heidi got up from her spot and said to Leonard, "She's around here, why is up on the side of the mountain?"

"Oh no, is it the Dinosaur?" Diesel asked, is face pale with fear, "Holy shit, we're going to get eaten!"

"No we aren't, grab your things, we have to get to the cave, now," Heidi said, as the ground began to shake, "Why is she up here?!"

They were packed and ready to go in record time and were back climbing up the slippery slope. Through the rain, Carlos could see something hulking and black, coming to them from below. That thing was the one shaking the ground, and making the roars. He had never seen a T-Rex before, and he sure as hell didn't want to see one now and it was getting closer.

"It's no good, the ground is too slippery and muddy, we're going to slow, Heidi, it's going to get us!" Diesel said to the woman, who shook her head, "Heidi! We can't keep going like this!"

"We'll get eaten then!" Heidi snapped, her eyes bright, "We have to-"

Stephanie screamed as the T-Rex came rushing through the forest. It was so big, and fast, not like the ones she had seen in the Jurassic Park movies. Though it was fast, it had to dig it's talons in the mud for balance. It was a grey color, with bright yellow eyes, which were pointed towards them. it opened it jaws, showing off sharp teeth and roared, causing them all to flee, the dinosaur right behind them.

They were running as fast as they could, but the mud was weighing them down, and the rain blinding them. they had to keep going up, to get to some place safe, or something, they just had to keep moving forward, or be eaten by a dinosaur.

Stephanie grunted, falling over a root, her foot stuck in the mud, she turned to rest of the group, shouting, "I'm stuck! I can't get up!"

Carlos turned to see Stephanie stuck in the mud, and the T-Rex looming right over. He made to turn and go back to Stephanie, but Leonard raced back over to Stephanie and stood in front of her, snarling and growling, his black fur on end. The T-Rex took one stpe forward, the ground shook, and then all the loose mud and ground came sliding down. Stephanie and Leonard were swept in the huge mudslide, along with the T-Rex.

"Stephanie!" Carlos shouted, watching with horror as she was swept down the mountain.

"Leonard, oh no!" Heidi said, watching the mountain lion grab Stephanie's shirt with his powerful mouth.

Carlos made to run after them, but Diesel grabbed him and said, "Are you crazy! You'll de swept in it too!"

"Stephanie is in it, I have to go and get her!" Carlos said, struggling in Diesel's grip, "Let me go!"

Heidi, using a tree as an anchor, looked down the side of the mountain, where the mudslide took Stephanie and Leonard. She let out a sound and said with a breath of relief, "They'll be okay, the mudslide fell into a cavern, they'll be okay."

"How can you say that?" Carlos asked, going over to Heidi, who slid onto the ground.

"Because, that cavern has and exit up near the top, and Leonard knows where it is, I hope they are not buried in the mud," Heidi said softly, biting her lip, "They'll be okay, Leonard knows the way."

Carlos shook his head and said, "Her backpack has no food in it, there's nothing-"

"She is with Leonard, she will be fine, Leonard will take care of her." Heidi said, getting up, "We should go to the cave with the hot springs now, there could be a chance that another mud slide will occur."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie walked silently beside Leonard through the dark cavern, the only light source they had was the torch that Leonard had made. Stephanie had woken up to Leonard, the man, slapping her face lightly. They had fallen in a hidden cavern and luckily Leonard knew the way out. it would take some time, but they would be at the top of the mountain and possibly back with the rest of the group.

"How deep is this place?" Stephanie asked the man, making him look around the rock walls.

"Pretty deep, this is the safe one too, there's some caverns that house the spider people, we have no worries with this one, this one only has small pools of water ,when we go deeper in, which is a good thing, we can eat the fish that are in it." Leonard said, hearing Stephanie's stomach, "they're pretty tasty and pretty big too."

"Good, I don't care what I eat, I'm starving!" Stephanie groaned rubbing her stomach, "It's been a whole day since I ate food, what I wouldn't do for a meatball sub…"

"Meatball sub?" Leonard echoed confused, "What is a meatball sub?"

"Oh you poor dear, being trapped in this place for 300 years, let me tell you about the meatball sub and it's goodness…"Stephanie said with a smile.

(~~~~~~~~~~~)

The cave with the hot springs was warm and humid, better than the wet and rainy atmosphere outside the cave. There were many small hot springs in the cave, each with crystal clear water. Diesel set his backpack down, and said, "This feels much nicer than being outside in that damn rain."

Carlos set his backpack down and sat on the ground, thinking about Stephanie, being lost. They needed to hurry and get to Stephanie and Leonard. Carlos turned his head, hearing a round of wet coughs from his side. It was Heidi, and she was shaking from the force of the coughs. Once she was done coughing, she let out a soft moan, and rested her head on the side of the cave wall, shivering. Diesel walked over to the woman and pressed a hand to her forehead and said with a frown, "You're burning up, come on, let's get you out of these wet clothes, I have a spare flannel shirt you can wear right now."

Diesel helped Heidi up and led her to a small hot spring pool. He helped into the soothing warm water and got the dirt off of her body. He took off her dress, ignoring the sounds of protest she made as he did. He dried her off with one of his many flannel shirts and tucked her into his sleeping bag. Carlos took out a packet of hot chocolate, used the hot springs water to make cocoa he crushed. He crushed the pills up so he could put it into the warm liquid. Diesel took the cup from Carlos and helped Heidi drink it all.

Once she was fast asleep, Carlos wen over to Diesel and said, "I'm going to find Stephanie and Leonard, she said that they would be at the top of the mountain, right?"

"Right, but, don't you think you should wait for Heidi to get well?" Diesel asked, looking at Heidi's sleeping form, "So she can lead you?"

"Stephanie and Leonard may not have that luxury, I'll wait for the rain to stop, and then I leave, you two should be fine here." Carlos said, looking around the place, "I'll bring Stephanie and Leonard back here when I find them."

"Okay man, I just hope you know what you're doing," Diesel said, before he settled down for the night, beside Heidi, "I think you do, but can't be too sure."

Carlos chuckled and said, "Trust me, Diesel, I know what I'm doing, I'm going to find my wife."

TBC…


	9. Marked Doll

(Chapter nine, enjoy, read and review please!)

not mine not making any money, it's just for fun!

Marked Doll

The rain had stopped early in the morning, and along with the rain ending, the warm weather came with it. True to his word, Carlos left the hot springs cave, but not before leaving some medicine for Heidi. She had gotten worse through the night. He could do this climb, he had done several of these climbs on missions, it would be no problem for him. He had Stephanie to worry about, even if she was with someone capable, Carlos wanted her with him, by his side. With the sun shining and the weather warm and mild, this climb wouldn't be as bad as it could be. If it was raining and cold, it could cause a hindrance. Diesel and Heidi would be fine where they were.

Carlos climbed slowly up the side of the mountain; he hoped that he would make it to top soon, and that Stephanie would be up there, waiting for him.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Diesel shushed Heidi's feverish talks as he placed a ripped flannel cloth on her forehead. Her eyes were half open and glossed over from the illness. He was concerned that it wasn't just any other illness, but pneumonia. By the way she had short breaths and there was a rattling in her chest, it sounded like pneumonia.

Diesel let Heidi grab his shirt and ask him in a weak voice, "Is Leonard here?"

"No, he will be soon, don't worry, he'll be fine, remember he's with Stephanie." Diesel said to the woman who shook her head.

"Caves…" Heidi said In a whisper, "I forgot…this cave…"

"No, now you just rest up, you don't need to say anything, okay?" Diesel said wrapping Heidi up again, "You just rest up and get well, okay sweetness?"

"Diesel….spiders…."Heidi whimpered, before she fell into a drug induced sleep.

"Spiders?" Diesel said looking around, "There are no spiders around here, I guess I should write down what happened to us, The Suits will never believe this shit."

(~~~~~~~~~~)

Pale green eyes watched the man sit beside the marked one. Oh dear, what was that man doing beside her? The figure watching the man had seen the other man leave, but this one wasn't. oh goodness, that meant that they would have to save the marked one from the man who smelt like the magic that oozed from this place. They weren't really the bravest one, nor were they the weakest one, but shoot, they didn't want to deal with this man!

(~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie let out a sigh of contentment, pushing the fish bones away from her. Leonard looked up from his spot close to the fire. It must have been daytime, because he was a mountain lion now. He had fallen asleep, at peace, his tail switching to and from in the dim light the fire they had going gave off.

"That was some good fish, Leonard, you are a great fisher, there's a lot of fish too, I could take a nap right now," Stephanie purred curling up on her sleeping bag, "My eyes feel so heavy right now…"

Stephanie sighed, looking into the fire, she wondered if Carlos was alright, she and Leonard were safe, but the other three, they could be in danger now.

"I know you said Heidi is a resilient person, but she did look ill before we got separated," Stephanie said, sitting up and looking at the mountain lion, "She should be fine, with Carlos and Diesel. They have medicine that she can take, she should be fine."

Stephanie sighed and thought about Carlos. They should be in the cabin by now, making love on every flat surface. They should be enjoying nature, not trying to survive in it. how in the world did Heidi and Leonard do it? to eat wild berries and fish all the time, to sleep out here, in nature. They had never seen electricity or a shopping mall. They had been in the woods for 300 years. That was a long period of history that they've missed out on. Hopefully they would be out of the woods soon, so she could take a shower in warm water that came from pipes. She had washed up in a small pool, but, she liked showers and bathtubs better.

Stephanie heard a soft rumble from Leonard. She turned to the mountain lion, watching him motion for Stephanie to lay on the sleeping bag, they would be climbing through the cavern soon to get to the next exit. Stephanie would need all the sleep she could get.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Diesel paused looking up from his writing, he had heard something. Diesel got up from his perched beside Heidi, who slumbered fitfully beside him, her face flush from the fever. Diesel walked past the sleeping woman and walked slowly past the pool of steaming water. He turned his head hearing a rock skitter by, what had made that rock move? Diesel turned and grunted in pain, feeling something stab his shoulder. Diesel turned and saw a woman's head buried in his shoulder,her sharp fangs buried in his shoulder. The woman blinked her four green eyes and then lifted her head, and skittered back to reveal that she had the thorax of a spider. She had the eight legs and the bottom of a spider but she had the torso of a human. Holy shit, was this a spider person?!

Diesel fell onto the ground, feeling his muscles seize up, he heard the spider woman skitter close by to the man, and she said, "Oh, you're not paralyzed yet? You're very strong! My poison usually works quick. Oh well, as long as you can't hurt the marked doll anymore."

"Marked doll?" Diesel croaked, getting back up, so he can sit on the ground, "You mean Heidi, oh no, she's sick, I'm not trying to hurt her."

Diesel grunted feeling the spider woman grabbed him and begin to wrap him up in her spider web. The spider woman hummed saying, "Don't lie to me, silly human, you're just like those people that came to me, looking for the marked doll, I totally ate them, they smelt like pure evil, and tasted like it too."

Diesel shook his head dumbly and said, "Wait, I'm not evil, I'm trying to stop the evil people that are after Heidi."

The spider woman ignored the man's pleas and said, "You'll make a tasty meal for me, you smell like the triangle, but, you're not from this triangle, you must be from a different one, are you?"

"I am…a Russian one," Diesel wheezed, his face paling from the poison, "Wait, Heidi, she's sick, she's very sick, I'm trying to make her better-"

Diesel grunted as he fell to the ground, from the spider woman's grip, "Oh dear, why didn't you tell me the marked doll was sick!"

Diesel felt fangs dig into his shoulder and then he felt the dizziness fade away. The spider woman walked over to the slumbering ill woman and cooed softly, "Hello marked doll, I shall make you all well."

Diesel watched as the spider woman pooled a drop of venom on her finger. She leaned down and slowly let the drop fall in between Heidi's lips. Heidi's licked her lips and groaned softly, falling back to sleep.

"Why didn't you tell me that she was sick! Usually she is with the mountain lion/human man," The spider woman said helping Diesel up, her eyes misting with tears, 'I'm so sorry that I poisoned you, I didn't know you were trying to helped the marked doll!"

Diesel stretched his muscles, once the webbing was torn off his body, "I can't blame you, for being protective, she does have an evil cult after her."

The Spider woman rung her hands and said in a soft voice, "Do you know the reason why these evil people after her?"

"Yeah to resurrect an evil demon," Diesel said, going over to the spider woman, who settled beside Heidi.

"There is something else too," The spider woman said softly, "Do you know that the marked doll is a marked doll."

Diesel frowned and said, "Marked doll, her markings, the ones on her back, but, she's not a doll."

The Spider woman nodded her head and said, "Yes she is, the marked one is a doll, the markings on her back are the only reason why she lives."

Diesel settled down beside the spider woman, who began to spun webbing, as if to make something with it, "What do you mean, the markings on the back are the only reason why she lives."

"The markings are her source of life; she is nothing but a shell for a demon to plant a seed in. The group does not know this, but if they knew that, they could easily find the power to manipulate the marked doll to come to them. Only the demon the group wishes to resurrect has the true power to control the marked doll, she had hidden potential and any demon could have the power to use what she has hidden, if they desire it so." The spider demon said softly, as her fingers began to create something from the webbing.

'_Any demon could have the power to use what she has hidden, if they desire it so.' _Diesel went silent, thinking about what the spider woman told her. Could it be….

Diesel looked over to Heidi, who was looking much better. She was pretty, very pretty, with full lips, and soft skin. Diesel wanted to touch her, to feel her in his arms. Heidi made something in him stir, but he knew that he couldn't act upon those feelings. The mountain lion would maul him to death if he did.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Even with the warm weather and blue skies, the climb Carlos was partaking in was rough. He had to watch out for loose earth that brought down. He really didn't know where he was going, but he knew that he had to climb up this mountain to get to where Stephanie and Leonard would be. He had climbed a mountain like this before, in South America, a drug lord had hidden there and it had been his mission to find him, and to kill him. The mountain had been rougher, and he had had 150 pounds worth of equipment on his back, this was almost like a walk in Central Park.

Carlos rested against a boulder, taking a sip of water from the canteen he carried, if he kept at the pace he was going, he should make it to the top of the mountain in a day or so. Once Stephanie and Leonard were with him, they would walk back down to the cave where Heidi and Diesel were. He really didn't like the idea of back tracking, but he knew that Heidi was too sick to do anything, they would have to wait, until she was better.

Carlos got up and began to climb up the side of the mountain. With any luck, he wouldn't run into any danger, that was the last thing he needed on this climb.

Carlos turned, hearing something in the woods close by to him. It had been rustling, and it had Carlos on edge. He was beginning to think that this Triangle was against him getting to his wife.

Carlos quickly turned to begin climbing back up the mountain; he wasn't going to wait on what the hell was after him, that's for sure.

He had just walked a couple of steps when he heard the sounds of a shrill cry, as if it came from a bird. Carlos turned and saw the group of baby T-Rexes and they were coming right after him. Carlos hissed under breath, "Shit! Just what I don't need, blood thirsty extinct reptiles."

Carlos pulled out the gun he had tucked inside his backpack, and put the clip of bullets in it. As the leader charged up to slash at him, Carlos fired the gun, shooting the T-Rex in the head, and killing it instantly. The sound of the gun going off, startled the other four reptiles, and then they scurried off back into the woods. Carlos knew that they would be back but not for a while, not until they got their bearings, he needed to hurry, he only had 9 bullets and he wanted to use those when they were needed.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Stephanie and Leonard woke up to a loud roar, that came deep from where they had come from. Leonard growled lowly in his throat, and then motioned for Stephanie to get up and pack her things.

"Is it the big T-Rex?" Stephanie asked the mountain lion, who nodded his head, "Shit, I thought it died in the mud slide."

Leonard grabbed the torch in his jaws while Stephanie put of the fire, and packed the fish in her backpack. She rolled her sleeping bag up and then attached it to her bag. She took the torch from Leonard's mouth and the two quickly ran off, they may not have enough distance between the reptile. There would be no stopping, until they were at the cavern's exit.

Stephanie and Leonard walked quickly through the cavern, going over boulder and rocks; there were some parts where they had to get down on their bellies to get to the other side. At some point in time, Leonard had shifted into a man, meaning that the night had fallen, they had been going all day, only taking quick stops to eat and rest.

Stephanie perked up feeling warm air rushing through the area they were in. she could hear the wind, which meant that they were close to an exit, they would be out of the cavern. Stephanie would have kept on going, if Leonard hadn't grabbed her quickly, to prevent her from falling into the abyss that she hadn't seen.

Stephanie gasped, looking down the dark void, the torch lighting the large area, "Leonard, how are we going to get across this?!"

Leonard shook his head and said, pointing to the left of him, "There's a natural bridge. We'll take that, come on."

Stephanie and Leonard turned, hearing and seeing the large T-Rex come barreling into the area. Leonard grabbed Stephanie's hand and together, they ran to the rock bridge that would be their only way across the abyss. Leonard pushed Stephanie on it, and said, "Run!"

Stephanie and Leonard had just gotten on the bridge, when another roar, this one bigger and louder than the T-Rex, filled the area.

"What was that?" Stephanie asked, Leonard, who looked down at the abyss, watching with wide eyes as it seemed to glow from a light source from below.

"Not a creature I want to meet, come on!" Leonard said, motioning for Stephanie to run across the long bridge.

"Stephanie!" A voice said, making Stephanie turn to look at the end of the bridge. Her face lit up and she saw Carlos, waiting for her at the end, he looked ragged and tired, but there he was, her husband.

"Carlos," Stephanie said, just as flames erupted from the abyss and a huge, black serpent like creature rose from the flames. It trained its red eyes on Stephanie and Leonard, before it turned to the T-Rex that was on the bridge making its way to Stephanie and Leonard. It let out a roar, as if it was saying how dare the T-Rex go after its meal. The Serpent charged at the T-Rex, slamming its body on the bridge. Stephanie and Leonard were nearly jarred off of it, as the bridge began to crumble and break apart under their feet.

Leonard knew it, he knew they weren't going to make it, the bridge was falling apart too quickly, they were going to fall into the abyss with the serpent and the T-Rex. Leonard could see that Stephanie had a chance, if he pushed her heard enough, but he wouldn't.

Stephanie gasped feeling hands push her hard on her back. She went propelling forward and into Carlos's arms. She turned and screamed, seeing Leonard, the T-Rex and the Serpent fall into the abyss, the natural bridge nothing but crumbled up rocks. Leonard quickly snapped something from his neck and tossed it shouting, "Tell Heidi I love her! Protect her now, it's up to you!"

As he fell to his death, the only thing Leonard saw were a pair of honey colored eyes and the beautiful smile of Heidi, and then there was no more.

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

Diesel and the Spider woman turned, seeing Stephanie and Carlos walk into the cave. Diesel smiled and got up saying, "You guys are alright! Glad to see you both in one piece! Is Leonard outside marking his territory or something?"

Stephanie shook her head and said in a soft voice, "He's dead, he died in the cavern. We had to cross this bridge and the T-Rex had come and then this flame breathing serpent came too, the bridge collapsed and Leonard-he pushed me to safety, he sacrificed himself so I could live."

Carlos wrapped an arm around Stephanie and said, "It's okay, Babe, it's okay."

"No it's not, he's gone, Heidi is alone now," Stephanie said sitting down on a boulder, tears slipping from her eyes, 'How is she going to handle this? They've been together for 300 years, and now he's gone!"

The spider woman tittered over to Stephanie saying, "The marked doll is not alone, she has you three, right?"

Stephanie looked up at the four green eyes and said, "Yeah, she isn't alone, but, what about when we leave the triangle, can she come with us?"

The spider woman shrugged her shoulders and said, "I do not know, you will have to find that out yourself, for now, you all should rest up, the marked doll will need all your strength when you tell her the bad news."

Diesel sighed turning to the sleeping woman, shit, this was going to break Heidi.

TBC…..


End file.
